The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-04-13
TRUTH STRANGER THAN FICTION.
Strange Story OF the Life OF William
kissane, California Million
aire.
Indicted for Forgery in 1854, Tried for
Incendiarism in 1857, Now Prom
inent Business Man.

The life of William X. Rogers, or Will
lam kissane, wealthy citizen of Califor-
MIA, has been a strangely romantic one, and
the circumstances or incidents surrounding
1t read more like the creative fances of a
fiction writer than actual occurrences in
real life, The facts surrounding his strange
career have just Been brought TO the surface
by viltue of an effort by his attorneys to
have an indictment for forgery against
him quashed in a New York court. This
indictment has been pending against him
since 1854. thirty-three long years. The
amount obtained by the forgery was $lS,-
0C0, the Chemical Bank being the victim
In 1857 he was a partner in one of the
largest pork packing establishments in
Cincinnati. The record shows that in that
year he was accused of being an accomplice
i'll the burning of the steamer Martha Wash
ington on the Mississippi River, by which
some thirty passengers lost their lives. He
was tried at Cincinnati in the United States
Court, before Judge Mclean. on an in
dlctment for attempting TO swindle insur-
ance companies. The investigation was
very exhaustive, and he was acouit ed.
Subsequently the judicial authorities of
Helena, Ark, near which place the confa-
grafton occurred, obtained the custody Of
his body, and tried him for murder. He
was again acquitted.
About this time Kissane went to Califor-
MIA and assumed the name Of William X.
Rogers. His first venture in that State was
the keeping of a store in Sacramento.
Probably he made little money at that,
for afterward he engaged in mining ut
Gold Hill, New, with a partner, and to-
getker they achieved a great success. In q
few years Kissane had amassed between
$500, 900 and 100000. Twenty years ago
he married beautiful young lady, who
was twenty years his junior. They have
now either seven or eight children. The
wife is about forty five years old. She is
amiable and benefcient of disposition, and
is much loved by all who know her. Kis-
sane bears his sixty-five years well, and is
regarded by nearly all his neighbors as a
man of the very highest character. He
lives in Sonoma County, not far from San
Francisco.
A Cleveland paper prints an interesting
chapter in the history OF Kissane. II re-
lates the circumstances of the burn
ing of the Martha Washington, and
the eff orts of Sidney c. Burton TO run
down and punish the gang in which he
spent S5O.OOO and travelled 10000 miles.
IL SAYS that Mrs. Frances III. Bowman,
now living in Cleveland, daughter of Mr..
Burton, has documentary evidence relating
to the case, which includes a book written
by Mr.. Burton. 1t then says:
Few persons are aware that emissaries
OF Kissane were instrumental in causing
Mr.. Burton's death. In the summer
of 1856 he visited New York, and,
a. had been the case throughout
his travels in the United States
and Canada, his every movement was
watched by Kissane's agents. Early in the
fall he became the victim OF mysterious
illness and returned TO his home here. He
fingered few months but never recovered,
dying on Dec. IL. 1855. The fact was es-
tablished at the time that Kissane's friends
had succeeded in smuggling a subtle poison
into his food and his death resulted, de-
spite the efforts of the best physicians to
save him. Mr.. Burton wrote during his
travels book giving detailed account of
the case, but 1t was never put in print. IL
was entitled The Drama Of Crime; or
Tragedies in Real Life According 10 the
preface the book contains, among other
things, complete confession by William
Kissane."
Colonel G. w. Doubleday, of Cleveland.
who was one of Filibuster Walkers adju-
tants in Nicaragua, said that he knew Kis-
sane when the latter was acting as COM
missary Of the expedition.